April Bey⁠ COLONIAL SWAG: Dune, Not Palm Springs, 2021⁠ Canvas, Sherpa and woven textile hand-sewn into resin with acrylic paint (Detail)⁠ ⁠ “I use iconic imagery to create characters and alternative histories,” says April Bey, whose mixed media works address colonialism, capitalism, race, gender, and power structures through fantastical mythmaking inspired by Afrofuturism and Afrosurrealism. The vibrant palette and inclusion of commercial advertising recalls Pop Art aesthetics, while the origins of this and related works also invoke childhood memories. Bey explains: “These are from the Atlantica series and represent fictitious advertisements from the planet Atlantica for the fictional brand, Colonial Swag. Colonial Swag is a high fashion luxury brand on Atlantica that uses fully sustainable, ethically mined colonialism from Earth’s developing countries to create beautiful, priceless pieces of fashion. Atlantica was once a nameless planet and a detailed fabrication imparted to me by my...